“I’ve spoken to the Governor," Hughes says. "The Governor is supportive of the bill. I am working with the committee chairman over in the House as well as other members to make them understand what is going on in the bill and I am cautiously optimistic the bill will pass.”

Puppy mill regulation is a separate issue from dog auctions. But Joe Schiavoni, a Democratic state senator who co-sponsored the bill, says the Senate bill will still affect dog auctions because the bill includes welfare standards for dogs.

Listener Comments:

You need to correct this article. The Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions is not supporting SB 130! That's also the case for the majority of rescues in Ohio!

SB 130 is a poorly written bill and will not stop the puppy mill dog auctions. Did any of the senators bother to ask how they intend to fund enforcement given that the senate ag committee removed licesne and litter registration fees? How about the fact that this bill is supported by the Ohio Professional Dog Breeders Association (Amish puppy mill breeders), who just happen to be one of the largest campaign contributors to Rep. Dave Hall, chairman of the House ag committee?

There is nothing in the bill that would prevent so called high volume breeders from having family members, for example, obtain separate licenses so that it appears there are several smaller operations not subject to regulation. It is also curious as to why every animal rescue must obtain a license and be subject to inspection, but any dog breeder whose dogs produce less than nine litters annually or who sell less than 60 dogs each year are left unregulated. That's a lot of unregulated backyard breeders!

Ohio is unlikely to be rid of its puppy mills without a clear definition of the breeders that are regulated, aggressive enforcement that includes more than a biennial inspection by the state, a ban on dog auctions, and clear, high standards of care such as sheltering in reasonably sized kennels instead of cages, unfettered access to exercise areas where dogs can run, regular veterinary care and the like.

Posted by: Andrea (Whisler) on August 2, 2012 1:08AM

IF this governor continues to follow the radical animal rights groups wishes against the farmers in this state he will soon find himself sitting on the outside. These animal rights people lie about everything. We now know from studying the situation that there is not a pet overpopulation problem or puppy mills. The majority of the raids have been on animal hoarders. People who are incapable of taking care of themselves or their animals. These people are not breeding pets on purpose. The puppy mill ruse is to control your ability to own a pet in the future or to eat meat. HSUS is anti american and anti-christian organization that is nothing more than a cult against the use of animals for any purpose. They are against all medical research. Its time to stop listening to this cult and kick them out of this state. Anyone who is an animal rights cult member is anti American and a traitor to this county. Maurice Strong a board member promised that he could take down American Agriculture with HSUS and our stupid representatives in Washington like Fienstein have listened to this cult long enough. Posted by: Vet Barnes on June 9, 2012 11:06AM